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Doing Theology: Appeals To Human Authority-3
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September 2 - Doing Theology: Appeals To Human Authority-3

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You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men. Mark 7:8, RSV.

A third invalid use of human authority during the 1888 era concerned reliance upon Adventist tradition to settle a point. Both Smith and Butler used the argument repeatedly that since the Adventist positons on Galatians and Daniel had stood for 40 years, they should not be changed. Smith even so far as to claim that if the traditional understandings were wrong he would be forced to renounce Adventism.

E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones, of course, rejected the appeal to Adventist tradition. J. H. Waggoner backed up his son. "I have long believed," he penned, "it to be a serious error which was growing up among us, that an individual, or even a publishing house, should send forth their views and hold the denomination bound to that veiw because it chanced to be published by them. . .Expositions of Scriptures cannot rest on" the authority of tradition. "They can be settled only by calm investigation, and just reasoning, and then all must have an equal right to express their opinions."

Ellen White, as usual, was in the reformers' corner. "As a people," she warned, "we are certainly in great danger, if we are not constantly guarded, of considering our ideas, because long cherished, to be Bible doctrines and in every point infallible, and measuring everyone by the rule of our interpretation of Bible truth. This is our danger, and this would be the greatest evil that cold ever come to us as a people"(MS 37, 1890).

Tradition is an interesting topic. Every red-blooded Adventist can see that other Christians are wrong in relying upon their tradition. After all, those traditions in some cases are obviously errorneous. They should, we affirm, go to the Bible.

But Adventist tradition often gets viewed in a different light. Didn't, the logic runs, our pioneers have the truth?

Yes, we might reply, but it wansn't all the truth without error. The only genuine test of tradition or any other source of authority is to compare a teaching with the Biblical positon on the topic.

In short, Adventist tradition by itself is no better than that of nay other religious group. It is always to the Bible that we must appeal.

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If studied and obeyed, the word of God works in the heart, subduing every unholy attribute. The Holy Spirit comes to convict of sin, and the faith that springs up in the heart works by love to Christ, conforming us in body, soul, and spirit to His own image. Then God can use us to do His will. The power given us works from within outwardly, leading us to communicate to others the truth that has been communicated to us(COL 100).
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